Conservation of the environment Books

Book SynopsisTraces the history of nutria from their natural range in South America to their status as an invasive species known for destroying the environmentally and economically important wetlands along the Gulf Coast. In this definitive book on ""swamp rats"", Theodore G. Manno recounts western expansion and the explosion of the American fur industry.

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Book Synopsis‘Vanessa Nakate continues to teach a most critical lesson. She reminds us that while we may all be in the same storm, we are not all in the same boat.’ Greta Thunberg‘An indispensable voice for our future.’ Malala Yousafzai‘A powerful global voice.’ Angelina JolieNo matter your age, location or skin colour, you can be an effective activist.Devastating flooding, deforestation, extinction and starvation. These are the issues that not only threaten in the future, they are a reality. After witnessing some of these issues first-hand, Vanessa Nakate saw how the world’s biggest polluters are asleep at the wheel, ignoring the Global South where the effects of climate injustice are most fiercely felt.Inspired by a shared vision of hope, Vanessa’s commanding political voice demands attention for the biggest issue of our time and, in this rousing manifesto for change, shows how you can join her to protect our planet now and for the future.Vanessa realised the importance of her place in the climate movement after she, the only Black activist in an image with four white Europeans, was cropped out of a press photograph at Davos in 2020. This example illustrates how those who will see the biggest impacts of the climate crisis are repeatedly omitted from the conversation. As she explains, ‘We are on the front line, but we are not on the front page.’Without A Bigger Picture, you’re missing the full story on climate change.Trade ReviewIn this moment of intersecting crises, Vanessa Nakate continues to teach a most critical lesson. She reminds us that while we may all be in the same storm, we are not all in the same boat. -- Greta ThunbergVanessa Nakate is a powerful global voice. A strong spirit who will clearly not give up and only grow in strength. -- Angelina JolieThrough Vanessa Nakate's eyes, A Bigger Picture shows us the threat of climate change to people in East Africa and the relentless courage of one activist fighting to be heard. Vanessa is more than an inspiration – she's an indispensable voice for our future -- Malala YousafzaiVanessa Nakate's message couldn't be more urgent or her voice more desperately needed. At once intimate and sweeping, A Bigger Picture is a must-read for anyone who cares about the future. -- Elizabeth Kolbert, author of Under a White Sky and The Sixth ExtinctionAfrica is suffering today from a crisis it did not cause, and yet African perspectives have been sidelined in the climate conversation. Leading a new generation of activists, Vanessa Nakate is setting that right. Writing with conviction and courage, she is a vital new voice for climate justice. -- Jeremy Williams, author of Climate Change is RacistVanessa's story, her voice and fearless spirit are an inspiration to all of us. This book is a vital reminder that the costs of climate change have been transforming negatively the lives of those who have had the least part in causing the problem. Without racial justice and equality, climate justice can never be a reality. -- Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and author of Climate Justice: Hope, Resilience, and the Fight for a Sustainable FutureThis is a wonderful story, wonderfully told! Vanessa Nakate is a crucial climate leader, reminding us of one of the iron laws of global warming: the less you did to cause it, the sooner and harder you get hit. Thank heaven her voice will echo far and wide, and down through the years. -- Bill McKibben, author of Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?Enthusiasm, commitment and energy jump out from every page of A Bigger Picture. After presenting the emergency climate problems facing Africa and the rest of the world Vanessa goes on to signpost the reader with solutions – an inspiring read! -- Nancy Birtwhistle, author of Clean & Green and Green Living Made EasyVanessa’s deeply personal and thought provoking account of her experience in the climate movement, specifically in the global south reminds us that at the center of this crisis is our shared humanity. -- Bonnie Wright, actress, activist and author of Go Gently: Actionable Steps to Nurture Yourself and the PlanetVital, urgent, eye-opening. This is one of the most important and empowering books ever written about the climate change emergency. A must-read for all of us, no matter where we’re from. -- Dr Ali Foxon, author of The Green Sketching HandbookDeeply personal and powerful, A Bigger Picture offers a fresh perspective from the frontlines of climate change. -- WorderyThe bold young female voice leading Africa's climate fight. -- African Business

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Book SynopsisHow it is that the United States—the country that cherishes the ideal of private property more than any other in the world—has chosen to set aside nearly one-third of its land area as public lands? Now in a fully revised and updated edition covering the first years of the Trump Administration, Randall Wilson considers this intriguing question, tracing the often-forgotten ideas of nature that have shaped the evolution of America’s public land system. The result is a fresh and probing account of the most pressing policy and management challenges facing national parks, forests, rangelands, and wildlife refuges today. The author explores the dramatic story of the origins of the public domain, including the century-long effort to sell off land and the subsequent emergence of a national conservation ideal. Arguing that we cannot fully understand one type of public land without understanding its relation to the rest of the system, he provides in-depth accounts of the different types of public lands. With chapters on national parks, national forests, wildlife refuges, Bureau of Land Management lands, and wilderness areas, Wilson examines key turning points and major policy debates for each land type, including recent Trump Administration efforts to roll back environmental protections. He considers debates ranging from national monument designations and bison management to gas and oil drilling, wildfire policy, the bark beetle epidemic, and the future of roadless and wilderness conservation areas. His comprehensive overview offers a chance to rethink our relationship with America’s public lands, including what it says about the way we relate to, and value, nature in the United States.Table of ContentsIntroduction to the Second Edition Introduction: Why Public Lands? Part I. Origins of the Public Domain Chapter 1 Building the National Commons Chapter 2 Disposing the Public Domain Chapter 3 A Public Land System Emerges Part II. The Public Lands System Chapter 4 National Parks Chapter 5 National Forests Chapter 6 National Wildlife Refuges Chapter 7 Bureau of Land Management Lands Chapter 8 National Wilderness Preservation System Chapter 9 National Wild and Scenic Rivers and Trails Chapter 10 Parting Thoughts.

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Book SynopsisFrom award-winning writer Leila Philip, BEAVERLAND is a masterful work of narrative science writing, a book that highlights, though history and contemporary storytelling, how this weird rodent plays an oversized role in American history and its future. She follows fur trappers who lead her through waist high water, fur traders and fur auctioneers, as well as wildlife managers, PETA activists, Native American environmental vigilantes, scientists, engineers, and the colorful group of activists known as beaver believers.Beginning with the early trans-Atlantic trade in North America, Leila Philip traces the beaver's profound influence on our nation's early economy and feverish western expansion, its first corporations and multi-millionaires. In her pursuit of this weird and wonderful animal, she introduces us to people whose lives are devoted to the beaver, including a Harvard scientist from the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana, who uses drones to create 3-dimensional images of beaver dams; and an environmental restoration consultant in the Chesapeake whose nickname is the "beaver whisperer".What emerges is a poignant personal narrative, a startling portrait of the secretive world of the contemporary fur trade, and an engrossing ecological and historical investigation of these heroic animals who, once trapped to the point of extinction, have returned to the landscape as one of the greatest conservation stories of the 20th century. Beautifully written and impeccably researched, BEAVERLAND reveals the profound ways in which one odd creature and the trade surrounding it has shaped history, culture, and our environment.

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Book SynopsisWhere mountains meet ocean in Alaska's Alexander Archipelago, white skeletons of dead yellow cedar trees stand prominently amidst a verdant landscape of old-growth forests. Researchers spent nearly three decades deciphering the cause of the majestic species' death and uncovering climate change as the culprit. Lauren E. Oakes, a young scientist at Stanford University, was one of them. But even as she set to record the demise of a species, she soon found herself immersed in an even bigger, and totally unexpected, story: how the people of Alaska were adapting to the tree's disappearance, and how the tree itself, seemingly doomed, was adapting to a changing world. In Search of the Canary Tree is the story of six years that Oakes and her team spent in the Alaskan wilds, studying thousands of trees and saplings along the archipelago of southeast Alaska. Far from losing faith in the survival of our woodlands, she discovered the resiliency of forgotten forests, flourishing again after years of destruction and decomposition. And, through deep encounters with loggers, naturalists, Native weavers, and enthusiasts of the yellow cedar, Oakes discovered how the people of Alaska were determined to develop new relationships with the emerging environment. Where many scientists and commentators have found in climate change an unmitigated disaster, Oakes found beacons of hope even in the disorienting death of a species. Above all else, Oakes shows us that, although we can respond to climate change with either fear or denial, we can also find in it a new world, and one that doesn't necessarily have to be for the worst. Eloquent, insightful, and deeply heartening, In Search of the Canary Tree shows how human and natural resilience can help preserve ourselves, even in our rapidly changing world.

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Book Synopsis“An inspiring reminder of the incredible resource that is our public lands.” —Brendan Leonard, author of The Camping Life and Surviving the Great Outdoors Across 193 million acres of forests, mountains, deserts, watersheds, and grasslands, national forests provide a multitude of uses as diverse as America itself. They welcome 170 million visitors each year to hike, bike, paddle, ski, fish, and hunt. But “the people’s lands” offer more than just recreation. Lost habitats are recovered, timber is harvested, and endangered wildlife is protected as part of the Forest Service’s enduring mission. In Our National Forests, Greg Peters gives an inside look at America’s most important public lands and the people committed to protecting them and ensuring access for all. From the Forest Service growing millions of seedlings in the West each year, to their efforts to save the hellbender salamander in Appalachia, the story spans the breadth of the country and its diverse ecology. And people are at the center, whether the dedicated Forest Service members or the everyday citizens who support and tend to the protected lands near their homes. This complete look at America’s national forests—their triumphs, challenges, controversies, and vital programs—is a must-read for everyone interested in the history of America's most important public lands.

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Book SynopsisPicture a hunter. Who comes to mind? Millionaire playboys or big truck owning folks? Maybe so, but there's more to it. Because if you love nature, value sustainability, abhor the pollution and inhumanity of factory farms, you could be a hunter in the making. And if you've never even considered hunting, The Shotgun Conservationist reveals all the reasons you should. Brant MacDuff makes us rethink who hunts and why. Growing up an animal lover with no hunting background, MacDuff himself would seem an unlikely advocate. Yet a lifelong love of the outdoors and a restless curiosity compelled him to investigate a simple question: is hunting conservation? So convinced, he consistently holds a hunting license in multiple states and gives lectures on the positive impact hunting has on conservation efforts nationwide and around the world.MacDuff tells the story of how he became a hunter and the colourful characters, big personalities, and first-hand research that helped change his mind. His journey led to a deeper understanding of how hunting protects public lands, supports sustainable ecosystems, encourages biodiversity, and can help bridge social and political divides. Along the way, he introduces us to a new generation of hunters, different from timeworn stereotypes and preconceptions. And who better than MacDuff? A trans man living in Brooklyn, he defies expectations of who hunts and invites people of all backgrounds into the field.Whether or not you decide to take up hunting, The Shotgun Conservationist provides a new perspective and appreciation for those who do.

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Book Synopsis'An enchanting book…poignant and passionate.' Geographical 'A captivating and absorbing account.' Sir David Attenborough Madagascar is one of the world’s natural jewels, with over ninety per cent of its wildlife found nowhere else on Earth. Few people knew it better than the pioneering primatologist and conservationist, Alison Jolly. Thank You, Madagascar is her eyewitness account of the extraordinary biodiversity of the island, and the environment of its people. At the book’s heart is a conflict between three different views of nature. Is the extraordinary forest treasure-house of Madagascar a heritage for the entire world? Is it a legacy of the forest dwellers’ ancestors, bequeathed to serve the needs of their living descendants? Or is it an economic resource to be pillaged for short-term gain and to be preserved only to deliver benefits for those with political power? Exploring and questioning these different views, this is a beautifully written diary and a tribute to Madagascar.Trade Review[An] enchanting book… The tone is, by turns, lyrical, comic and irreverent while musings on the biggest issues sit beautifully alongside family moments, parties, and times when, confronted by tragedy, there was a need "to write all the feelings away". This is a poignant and passionate record of a life well lived and a timely reminder of the challenges Jolly’s beloved island still faces. * Geographical *The brutal honesty exhibited in her personal diaries and letters include both the successes and struggles of undertaking conservation in a developing country....vivid and beautifully written. So much so that it brought me to tears more than once, from both sadness and laughter. * Progress in Development Studies *We thank you, Alison Jolly, for your contribution of numerous books and articles as well as giving us these diaries and insights into Madagascar conservation and, above all, for your impassioned commitment to Madagascar, an example for the whole world. * Quarterly Journal of Biology *Without a doubt one of the very best books about conservation. It ranges from the author's work with Madagascar's fascinating and unique lemurs, efforts at all levels to protect their habitat, sympathetic descriptions of village life, and the often highly amusing stories of what goes on behind the scenes during high level meetings. The information presented in diary form makes you feel you were present, sharing the excitements, disappointments and triumphs that are part of the on going struggle to save the environment. And for those of us who knew and loved Allison, it is as though she is with us still, suggesting we do our best to save this planet for our children. I was truly absorbed from start to finish. * Dr. Jane Goodall, UN Messenger of Peace *Alison Jolly’s amazing eyewitness account takes us from the halls of the World Bank to the huts of forest villagers - and even to the ethics of mining companies. I recommend it especially to the Malagasy friends and colleagues who struggle for sustainability for our country. * Leon Rajaobelina, Conservation International *A gripping tale of the birthing years of the environmental movement in Madagascar. Alison Jolly is a great story-teller, and brings to life the first studies of the unique wildlife of Madagascar. Sometimes provocative, often funny and always with wisdom about human nature, this tale is history at its best, a first hand view of the intrigues of complex politics and the drive of determined researchers at the frontiers of wild science. The pathos of human poverty and the richness of wildlife are one story, and Alison Jolly brings you Madagascar with all its complexities. * Patricia Wright, distinguished professor of anthropology, Stony Brook University, and founder of Centre ValBio in Madagascar *A captivating and absorbing account that reveals how the people and the land of Madagascar captured her heart. * Sir David Attenborough *Table of ContentsForeword - Hilary Bradt Introduction: My Adventurous and Astonishing Mother - Margaretta Jolly Chronology of events Dramatis Personae Map of Madagascar 1. 'Our country is committing suicide' Part I: Villages 2. Dancing in the Rainforest 3. Burning Baobabs, Death of Children 4. David Attenborough, Madame Berthe's Mouse Lemur, and School Among the Baobabs 5. Eleanor and the Aye-Ayes Part II: Politics 6. Where Indri Sing 7. Napoleon Versus the Zoos 8. The Bank Corrals the Donors 9. Dishing out the Dough 10. Our Cash Killed Bedo 11. The Bank Goes to the Forest Part III: Environment and Development 12. Golden Bamboo Lemurs of Ranomafana 13. Patricia Walked the Boundaries 14. The Village of the Fig Tree 15. Development Meltdown 16. Real Life and DreamWorks 17. President Ratsiraka 18. Madame Berthe was Dancing Part IV: Weather 19. Famine in the South 20. Lemurs Coping 21. Scientists, People, Lemurs: Berenty, Bezà Mahafaly and Tsimanampetsotsa 22. Climate Change Part V: Money 23. Durban Vision; Rosewood Massacre 24. The New Mines 25. Where are We Now? References Photographic credits Index

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Book SynopsisGet ready to green up your everyday life with this helpful journal, packed full of tips and tricks to show you how simple it is to make meaningful changes – and help the planet along the way. We all know how important it is to be eco-conscious but sometimes it’s hard to know where to start, or to find changes that work for you. Bringing together the latest advice across all major lifestyle areas, such as food, the home and cleaning, as well as wider issues such as travel, gardening for wildlife and how to be an activist, this journal offers ideas to get you started on your eco journey and room for you to record your progress. It doesn’t have to take more time or money to be environmentally friendly – in fact it should help you save on both – and this clever book is full of ideas to help you, as well as the planet. Learn how to ...Make easy meal swapsGet creative with leftovers Shop smart Create clever upcycling projects Look after the wildlife on your doorstep Recycle like a proReplace everyday products with green alternatives Get informed on green issues Engage with your community... and much more.

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Book SynopsisIn the fight against climate change, the world cannot wait for some hoped-for perfect solution in the future. The crisis is upon us, and we need action now. We need as many different strategies, tools, and ideas as possible; and we need them working right away. We need an all-of-the-above solution. One such solution is the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM). The VCM is not the solution to climate change. But it is a solution. In Carbon Done Correctly, Richard H. Lawrence, Jr. introduces the VCM through the lens of unsung heroes around the globe who are on the front lines of the fight against climate change. The story begins in Honduras, where Proyecto Mirador builds fuel-efficient cookstoves in rural communities. Richard tells how a medical mission in the wake of Hurricane Mitch in 1998 spawned a multi-decade venture to build better, cleaner stoves which improve the lives of people in Honduras while reducing carbon emissions into our atmosphere. Always at the center of the story are the remarkable people who made it all possible. But Proyecto Mirador needed funding to continue its work. Enter the VCM. Richard describes the process of Gold Standard Certification, by which an organization becomes eligible to sell carbon credits, and the subsequent establishing of Cool Effect, a crowdfunding marketplace for carbon-reducing projects around the world. As Richard shows, for the VCM to succeed and reach its true global potential, transparency and quality must be at the heart of carbon-reducing projects: these projects must reach the Top of the Pyramid. In Carbon Done Correctly, you will be inspired by the stories of the work that people are doing to combat climate change, and you will see how the VCM provides an essential tool in helping them, and other people in the future, continue and improve that work for the benefit of our planet.

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Book SynopsisDespite the 1989 global ivory trade ban, poaching and ivory smuggling have not abated. More than half of Tanzania's elephants have been killed for their ivory since 2007. A similarly alarming story can be told of the herds in northern Mozambique and across swathes of central Africa. But why the new upsurge? The popular narrative blames a meeting of two evils - criminal poaching and terrorism. But the answer is not that simple.Since ancient times, large-scale killing of elephants for their tusks has been driven by demand beyond Africa's range states from the Egyptian pharaohs through the industrialising West to the new wealthy business class of China. Elephant hunting in Africa is also governed by human-elephant conflict, traditional hunting practices and the impact of colonial exploitation and criminalisation.Ivory follows this complex history of the tusk trade in Africa, and explains why it is corruption, crime and politics, rather than insurgency, that we should worry about. In this ground-breaking work, Somerville argues that regulation - not prohibition - of the ivory trade is the best way to stop uncontrolled poaching.Trade Review'Part historical overview, part polemic and call for policy change, [Keith's] book is dedicated not only to those who gave or risk their lives to conserve elephants but also to "those who have the courage to question the ruling orthodoxy" that burnings and bans save elephants. The author's own appetite for questioning - from the "flexible meanings" of the word "poaching" to the high ideals and more nuanced realities of NGOs' work - makes for informative reading.' * Times Higher Education *'[A] meticulously documented record of an economic activity that has spanned millennia . . . Somerville has made a valuable contribution towards documenting the history of the ivory trade.' -- The Times Literary Supplement'Combating elephant poaching in Africa has become an international priority, attracting Hilary Clinton, Jackie Chan and Prince Harry to its cause. Drawing on decades of experience as a seasoned journalist, Keith Somerville eloquently writes about the politics of ivory poaching in Africa and shows why we should care.' * Dr Alex Vines OBE, Head of the Africa Programme at Chatham House and Senior Lecturer at Coventry University *'Keith Somerville has written a pioneering study in the field of wildlife conservation. Based on a formidable list of sources, the argument is well constructed and superbly expressed. The text will prove an invaluable guide to both scholars and those engaged in the struggle to preserve an asset of incomparable value.' * Professor Jack Spence OBE, Kings College London *'This is an urgently-needed book that strips away the myths around the fast-changing scene of ivory poaching. For this task there is nobody better than Keith Somerville, who has kept a beady eye on Africa for many years.' * Jasper Humphreys, Director of External Relations, The Marjan Centre for the Study of Conflict and the Non Human Sphere, Department of War Studies, King's College, London *'Somerville's analysis of the booming ivory trade under colonial rule is masterly: more firearms, more organized trading, and greater demand for ivory in the West meant escalated killing. He shows the more pernicious, lasting effect to be the alienation of indigenous people from control over wildlife, which happened when British game officials banned Africans from hunting while encouraging white trophy pursuers.' * Robert Eagan, Library Journal *'[A] devastating and majestic history of the supply chain from Africa. […] Somerville has produced the best academic account to date of the history of the supply side of this catastrophic trade.' * Joanna Lewis, Africa at LSE blog *'This excellent book clearly captures the reasons for killing elephants in Africa, and the perils we face in trying to save them. The historical and political dimensions of the phenomenon are often under-stated, but here corruption is shown to be at the heart of the ivory trade, and human conflicts have provided the arena in which large-scale corruption takes place.' * Lucy Vigne, ivory and rhino horn researcher *'This thoroughly researched volume delves into intricate detail regarding the historical and current status of elephants and ivory trading. An excellent addition to an advanced course or seminar on conservation biology, sustainable use, or wildlife policy.' -- CHOICE

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Book SynopsisA beautifully lyrical collection of essays on the natural world in Britain by the Guardian's country diary writer Paul Evans. With a title taken from the 1940 Batsford book, this is nature writing for the modern reader. It is a book both for those that live in the country and those that don't, but experience nature every day through brownfield edge lands, transport corridors, urban greenspace, industrialised agriculture and fragments of ancient countryside. Evans weaves historical, cultural and literary references into his writing, ranging from TS Eliot to Bridget Riley, from Hieronymus Bosch to Napoleon. The essays include the The Weedling Wild, on the wildlife of the wasteland: ragwort, rosebay willowherb, giant hogweed and the cinnabar moth; Gardens of Light, about the creatures to be found under moonlight: pipistrelle bats, lacewings and orb-weaver spider; The Flow, with tales from the riverbank, estuaries and seas, including kingfisher, minnow, otter and heron. The Commons looks at meadowland with a human footprint, with the Adonis blue butterfly, horseshoe vetch, skylark, black knapweed and the six-belted clearwing moth. Other chapters look at the wildlife returned to Britain, such as wild boar and polecats, and finds nature in and around landscapes as varied as a domestic garden or a wild moor. The book ends with an alphabetical bestiary, an idiosyncratic selection of British wildlife based on the author's personal encounters.Trade Review'Evans has a lovely way of writing, evocative with an eye for detail on the bigger picture' * Half Man Half Book *'There is profound yet unobtrusive elegance in Paul Evans’ writing' * The Ecologist *'There is profound yet unobtrusive elegance in Paul Evans’ writing.' -- Peter Reason * Resurgence & Ecologist Review *'It’s the perfect collection to dip into and out of at leisure and is perfect for anyone with a natural history bent' * Epicurean *'It’s like going on a short walk with a knowledgeable guide. Refreshing and educational.' * The People's Friend *‘By celebrating [the natural world] so beautifully, Evans is playing as important a role in its conservation as anybody.' * Birdwatching *'The ordinary becomes extraordinary in this fascinating book' -- Miriam Darlington * BBC Wildlife *

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Book SynopsisMike Tomkies gives a remarkable picture of the whole cycle of nature around him, in a harsh and testing environment of unrivalled beauty. Vivid colours and sounds fill these pages - exotic wild orchids, the roar of rutting stags, a pair of dragonflies mating, the flight of the redwing, the territorial movements of foxes, otters and badgers, an oak tree being torn apart by hurricane-force gales. Nothing seems to escape his penetrating eye, to which the selection of his photographs in this book - some revealing little-known aspects of animal behaviour - immediately testifies. Yet Mike's extraordinary insights into the wildlife that shared his otherwise empty territory of 300 square miles are not gained without perseverance in the face of perilous hazards. Every pound of supplies (including heavy gas canisters) has to be manhandled in and out of his boat, which once sank beneath him in a storm. Thousands of miles of rock faces and hillside must be trekked each year in summer and winter, the tussock grass concealing sodden peat holes that will break an ankle. Hours on end, day and night, are spent in cramped hides on windy, precipitous ledges.A Last Wild Place is much more than the chronicle of a man who left city life in order to study the wilderness. It is a celebration of nature at its most rugged and spectacular in all Britain. Like the enormous ageing salmon he threw back because he felt he had no right to claim its life, Mike Tomkies reveals through his quest our urgent need to become retuned to natural rhythms if mankind is to regain a measure of health and sanity in a world bent on self-destruction.Trade Review`...unique observations and insights that fuel a powerful story of not only wildlife, but living in the wild amongst them, observing animal behaviour. ...a fine survey that armchair naturalists will appreciate for both its vivid tone and engrossing animal insights’. Donovan’s Bookshelf -------------------- `His phenomenal knowledge of wildlife is not limited to mammals and birds but includes trees, wild plants and insects, particularly butterflies. His chapters on deer in winter are particularly poignant... He is an extraordinary naturalist and his tales are made all the more interesting by the presence of his constant companion, his experienced German shepherd dog Moobli'. Wildlife Detective, The blog of Alan Stewart -------------------- `...presents a truly remarkable picture of the whole cycle of nature around him... ...Impressively informed and informative, "A Last Wild Place" is a simply fascinating and engaging read from cover to cover and an enduring testimonial to a life time of observation and study of the natural world. Midwest Book Review

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Book SynopsisMongooses are a remarkable and fascinating group of small carnivores, with 25 species occurring in Africa and nine in Asia. They live within a wide variety of habitats, from open savannah to dense rainforest, and display an amazing diversity in social behaviour, with both solitary and group-living species. Yet this family is one of the least-known group of carnivores. The general lack of public awareness about most mongoose species, and the scarce ecological knowledge of what they need to survive in the wild, are two of the many conservation threats that this group of carnivores faces, which highlights the urgent need to promote an interest in these amazing animals. As well as popularising mongooses, the book will be a valuable source of information on general scientific and conservation topics, such as social behaviour and how the loss of suitable habitats impacts animal species. Recent cinematic films and TV documentaries on meerkats and banded mongooses have been very popular, but people are much less familiar with the other mongoose species that live across Africa and Asia - most of these are rarely seen in the wild and are very poorly known, and several have not been studied in the field. One African mongoose was only discovered by western scientists in 1958, and several others are only known from a few museum specimens and recent observations in the wild. This well-researched, lavishly illustrated book will give a comprehensive overview of the whole mongoose family, including all the different aspects of mongoose biology, their role in human society and the conservation issues that they face, as well as detailed information on all 34 mongoose species.Trade Review'This should appeal to all mongoose fans, non-experts and experts alike'. Mammal Watching -------------------- '...is pleasantly easy to read and gives the reader information on the evolution of the mongoose, their lifestyle and behaviour...is well laid out and amply supplied with lovely colour photographs, maps and tables...I thoroughly enjoyed this book'. Wildlife Detective-------------------'...This comprehensive guide to everything mongoose covers all 34 species...25 of which are found in Africa...from the lovable meerkat to the rarely-seen Jackson's mongoose...it is a fascinating read for the mongoose connoisseur or wildlife enthusiast'. Travel Africa--------------------'Mongooses might be some of the most underrated mammals on the planet...It would be a cool set to see in the wild...all 34 mongoose are covered with range maps and varying amounts of detail on their ecology and behaviour...The authors have also sourced photographs for just every species'. Mammal Watching Blog------------------‘…a great little volume to learn more about these fascinating creatures… an excellent reference work… provides detailed information and is a great addition to my collection of mammal references’. Matthew L. Miller, Cool Green Science blog

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Book SynopsisBritish imperialism was almost unparalleled in its historical and geographical reach, leaving a legacy of entrenched social transformation in nations and cultures in every part of the globe. Colonial annexation and government were based on an all-encompassing system that integrated and controlled political, economic, social and ethnic relations, and required a similar annexation and control of natural resources and nature itself. Colonial ideologies were expressed not only in the progressive exploitation of nature but also in the emerging discourses of conservation. At the start of the 21st century, the conservation of nature is of undiminished importance in post-colonial societies, yet the legacy of colonial thinking endures. What should conservation look like today, and what (indeed, whose) ideas should it be based upon? Decolonizing Nature explores the influence of the colonial legacy on contemporary conservation and on ideas about the relationships between people, polities and nature in countries and cultures that were once part of the British Empire. It locates the historical development of the theory and practice of conservation - at both the periphery and the centre - firmly within the context of this legacy, and considers its significance today. It highlights the present and future challenges to conservationists of contemporary global neo-colonialism The contributors to this volume include both academics and conservation practitioners. They provide wide-ranging and insightful perspectives on the need for, and practical ways to achieve new forms of informed ethical engagement between people and nature.Trade Review'Prepare to have your comfortable assumptions challenged.' Bulletin of the British Ecological Society 'This is an important book which argues conservationists to understand and move beyond the colonial baggage still influencing their work.' ECOS 'This book provides readers with a greater perspective on the history and significance of worldwide conservation policies that guide world leaders today when issues of sustainability are before them' Marilyn K. Alaimo, garden writer and library volunteer, Chicago Botanic Garden. Current Books on Gardening and Botany, June 2004. 'Decolonizing Nature presents current and future directions for conservation planning in the developed and developing worlds.' Brian H. King, University of Colorado, Boulder. Geographical Reviews.Table of ContentsIntroduction * Nature and the Colonial Mind * Decolonizing Relationships with Nature * The 'Wild', the Market, and the Native: Indigenous People Face New Forms of Global Colonization * Sharing South African National Parks: Community Land and Conservation in a Democratic South Africa * Devolving the Expropriation of Nature: The 'Devolution' of Wildlife Management in Southern Africa * Decolonizing Highland Conservation * Responding to Place in a Post-colonial Era: Reflections on the Australian Experience * When Nature Won't Stay Still: Conservation, Equilibrium and Control * Beyond Preservation: The Challenge of Ecological Restoration * Feet to the Ground in Storied Landscapes: Disrupting the Colonial Legacy with a Poetic Politics * Conclusions * Index

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Book SynopsisFrancesca Sorrenti, in collaboration with Ocean Futures Society's Jean-Michel Cousteau, has collected a kaleidoscope of the elemental qualities of water in a series of photographs. Against these images are set the records of the follies of mankind, the greed and despair and the ignorance.

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Book SynopsisOn saving the world and other triumphant failures... As a child, young Kenyan Jess de Boer knew that one day she would save the world. Leaving behind the comfort of home she sets out to make her dream a reality. Many continents, adventures and a few hilarious mishaps later, Jess returns to Africa to dedicate herself to a new passion - beekeeping. Follow the beautifully illustrated misadventures of a young, modern-day explorer as she tackles the enormous challenges of aid in Africa, environmental concerns and conservation issues - often with humorous and dramatic results. While saving the world isn't as easy as it seems, we can make a positive change, one little bee at a time!Trade ReviewThis is a story we can all relate with. What will we do with our life? Do we have to follow a path we build in our head for many years or will we just go with the flow? From Africa to Switzerland, with a quick detour to Vietnam, Jess brings us in her peregrination and her mental journey of "What can I do with my life?". Is following your principles enough? How can a simple detail (in this case, an advert for beekeeping classes) change the course of your life - and others? This was a truly fun and inspiring book. You'll finish it full of hope and motivation to engage in something (or someone) new and unusual. * Marion Tessier, The KU Big Read *If I had seen this book in the bookstore and it had been sealed with only the cover for reference, I would still pick it up. Its title 'The Elephant and the Bee, Jess de Boer On Saving The World and other triumphant failures' had me chuckling even before I had read the preface. That sets the pace of the book, which gives an honest account of the author's incredible journey of trying to find her purpose and like most of us attempting to actually do 'something good for once as opposed to just thinking about it.'Jess's story begins right after high school and she shares a collection of stories, spanning several years and different continents that gives the reader a peek into her personal defeats and success in her bid to save the world. What makes this book a real page turner, are the Kenyan author's clever descriptions of all the places she has been. There is the hilarious description of a café she worked at in Christchurch, New Zealand, 'The building itself had only just survived the earlier tremors and was held together with suspicious amount of wire, duct tape and cable ties...' And then her realisation that the mountains wilderness that she had longed to see in Lao Cai in China, 'was in reality a never-ending row of scruffy hotels and eateries on either side of a road...'Throughout the whole book, I felt like I was listening to a story told by a friend over coffee and even the ending is not really an ending but the possibility of something new. As Jess surmises, 'While saving the world isn't easy as it seems, we can make a positive change, one little bee at a time.' What a beautiful read. * Brenda Okoth, The Sunday *

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Book SynopsisThe publication of Nepal: An Introduction to the natural history, ecology and human environment of the Himalayas is the direct culmination of four years of work, but it is built on the four decade career of the lead editor, Georg Miehe, one of today’s leading authorities on the ecology of the Himalayas. The forty five other authors who have contributed to the book represent many of the foremost experts on the Himalayas.

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Book SynopsisWorld of Plants: Stories of Survival tells the story of 100 plants from the Living Collection at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, that are endangered or threatened in the wild. Featuring images and descriptions of each plant, details of their origins, the threats they face, and the work being done to save them.

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Book SynopsisThis book provides case studies and general views of the main processes involved in the ecosystem shifts occurring in the high mountains and analyses the implications for nature conservation. Case studies from the Pyrenees are preponderant, with a comprehensive set of mountain ranges surrounded by highly populated lowland areas also being considered.The introductory and closing chapters will summarise the main challenges that nature conservation may face in mountain areas under the environmental shifting conditions. Further chapters put forward approaches from environmental geography, functional ecology, biogeography, and paleoenvironmental reconstructions. Organisms from microbes to large carnivores, and ecosystems from lakes to forest will be considered.This interdisciplinary book will appeal to researchers in mountain ecosystems, students and nature professionals. This book is open access under a CC BY license.Table of ContentsIntroduction.- 1. Trade-offs in the high-mountain conservation.- 2. Present phylogeorgraphic patterns in European mountains resulting from past large climatic oscillations.- 3. The early human occupation of the high mountain.- 4. Millenial socio-ecological trajectories in high mountain and land use.- 5. Non-equilibrium in alpine plan assemblages, current shifts in summit floras.- 6. Diversity assembly in alpine plant communities.- 7. Regional forest idiosyncrasy and the response to global change.- 8. Life-history responses to the altitudinal gradient in mountain fauna.- 9. Towards a microbial conservation perspective in high-mountain lakes.- 10. On defence of fishless high mountain lakes.- 11. Atmospheric chemical loadings in the high mountain: current forcing and legacy pollution.- 12. High soil carbon stocks in mountain grasslands may be compromised by land use changes.- 13. Why recovering large carnivore populations in high mountains?.- 14. The role of environmental history in high mountain landscape conservation.- 15. Conservation lessons from long-term studies of the bearded vulture.- 16. Monitoring global change in the high mountain.- 17. Evaluating global change effects on high mountain snow and the impact on water resources.- 18. A modelling approach to the understanding of past, present and future shifts in vegetation.- 19. Challenges for conservation in a changing world, perspective from the high mountains.

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Book SynopsisThis reference provides up-to-date information on research in many different disciplines which give an overall insight into the environmental history of Africa.

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Book SynopsisExplores the confluence of human and environmental change on ten of the great rivers of the world. Ranging from the Yellow River in China to Central Europe's Danube, this book shows us how pollution, such as in the Ganges and in the Ob of Siberia, has affected biodiversity in the water.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“With his new masterwork, Chakrabarty confirms that he is one of the most creative and philosophically-minded historians writing today. The oppositions he proposes between the global of globalization and the global of global warming, between the world and the planet, between sustainability and habitability are illuminating and effective for thinking and acting through our highly uncertain and disoriented times.” * François Hartog, author of 'Chronos' *“One of the first thinkers to reckon with the concept of the Anthropocene and its relation to humanism and its critics, Chakrabarty forges new territory in his account of the planetary. If globalism was an era of human and market interconnection, the planetary marks the intrusion of geological forces, transforming both the concept of ‘the human’ and its accompanying sense of agency. This is a tour de force of critical thinking that will prove to be a game changer for the humanities.” * Claire Colebrook, Pennsylvania State University *"Historian Dipesh Chakrabarty confronts the ‘planeticide’ by calling for a humanistic and critical approach to the Anthropocene. . . . Ever alert to the holistic and far reaching vision upheld by ‘deep history,’ the Chicago professor re-raises the old question of the human condition in the new framework of the geobiological history of the planet." * Arquitectura Viva *"The Climate of History in a Planetary Age, by Dipesh Chakrabarty, is in my judgment the most compelling and encompassing book by a humanist on the complexities and asymmetries of the Anthropocene to date." * The Contemporary Condition *“For Chakrabarty, ‘global’ does not refer to the entirety of the world, but rather to a particular mode of thought. . . . In critiquing the global, Chakrabarty offers another mode of thinking that can perhaps provide the philosophical grounding for a truly ecological approach. He terms it the ‘planetary.’ Chakrabarty argues the ‘planetary’ is not a unified totality, but rather ‘a dynamic ensemble of relationships.’ While the global mode of thought retains the centrality of the human observer, the planetary mode of thought decentres the human and its apprehension of the world. The human becomes only one node within a much more complex and multivalent system of actors, both human and non-human.” -- Christopher McAteer * Green European Journal *"In The Climate of History in a Planetary Age, University of Chicago historian and theorist Dipesh Chakrabarty provides an expansive, but hardly exhaustive, overview of the Anthropocene, focusing on how historians, in particular, have grappled with the conditions of a world under physical duress. As humans have become a 'geological force' in this new epoch and the earth has itself become an archive, with human behavior imprinted in the fossil record and ice caps, we are at the cusp of a new understanding of the agency of humankind and other terrestrial beings. This 'planetary' understanding can, in turn, offer a new ethical paradigm for inhabiting this afflicted present, and can apply to remote pasts and possible futures. Such, at least, is the hope expressed in Chakrabarty’s book." * The Hedgehog Review *"Immensely clarifying and illuminating. . . . while Chakrabarty frequently invokes research produced by natural scientists, his argument carves out an important space for humanists in interpreting and responding to the consequences of anthropogenic geological agency." * Isis Journal *"This book provides a thought-provoking, complex discussion of how climate change challenges the humanities, history, and the human sense of time but presupposes a command of intellectual history. . . . Overall, Chakrabarty outlines the overlapping of different histories once thought to be distinct. The planet itself, he argues, is a 'humanist category.'" * Choice *"Environmental humanists... tend to treat 'globe' and 'planet' as synonyms; Chakrabarty shows the critical and generative importance of the distinction. Evoking geological time is de rigueur; he shows what it means to dwell with that time without displacing it onto world historical time. Rapturous treatments of multispecies agency abound; he challenges the latent anthropocentrism and even paternalism of some new materialisms." * American Literary History *"The Climate of History in a Planetary Age is a breathtaking book. Chakrabarty challenges us to reimagine the human from a planetary perspective, a deep history—an infinite horizon of human history—in order to come to terms with the climate crisis that human actions have precipitated." * The Book Review India *"Chakrabarty’s approach to the Anthropocene is a rich collage of intellectual influences primarily from India, Europe, Australia and North America. The book is an exemplary illustration that the magnitude and scope of the Anthropocene is not only challenging. For many academics, it is an inviting opportunity to take stock of one’s lessons learnt through research and personal experience. At this stage of the academic debate, the Anthropocene offers plenty of room for thematic manoeuvres. Chakrabarty displays a version of such intellectual playfulness in an overall sense-making attempt." * British Journal for the History of Science *"It's no overstatement to think of this book as having clanged the bell for a new normal in the humanities and social sciences when it comes to telling the story of ourselves, that is, when it comes to human history. Responsible history should today be geological even when recounting the human record. Chakrabarty raised a series of open-ended, difficult questions about a range of core concerns in the humanities and social sciences from how we can understand ourselves and society to how we ought to think about political economy and morality." * Environmental Philosophy *"Our academic engagements with law and development and social sciences more broadly must attempt to make sense of the rifts between the global and the planetary, even if such endeavours transcend and disrupt disciplinary confines and assumptions... The objective should be to displace the ideological supremacy of human species, Euroamerican and universalistic cosmologies, and simultaneously further the plurality of human-nonhuman relations, minority thought and just political action. Chakrabarty's book is one essential step in this direction." * Review of European, Comparative and International Environmental Law *"In contrast to most of the interventions that we can read about the ecological catastrophe, Chakrabarty does not rush to give us solutions, but rather seeks to sharpen the problem... By locating this difficulty at the intersection of the two great critical events of our history, decolonization on the one hand and global warming on the other, and by identifying the problematic node from these two distinct figures of totalization that are globalization and planetarization, Chakrabarty inscribes himself in an original way in a body of contemporary research in which the legacy of the critique of colonization and ecological awareness are mixed... Chakrabarty is an Aufklärer, and in this book as in the previous one, a single question is at work: how to inherit the Enlightenment? How to prolong the cosmopolitical project?" * Critique *"Chakrabarty’s argument about what postcolonial studies has to offer the environmental humanities goes well beyond the established appeals to inequality that constitute climate justice discourse . . . As such, this book comes highly recommended for anyone working in the environmental humanities." * Ecozon@ *"The new book by Dipesh Chakrabarty, The Climate of History in a Planetary Age, is to my mind currently the best available introduction to the new challenges for political thinking in the Anthropocene." * Postcolonial Studies *"The challenge of Anthropocene research is not that it compels determining which view is the singly correct one; the challenge is that almost all views (if not all of them) are to some extent correct. How, then, do we go about addressing these multiple (potentially and partially correct) views? Open the pages of The Climate of History in a Planetary Age and see for yourself." * History and Theory *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Intimations of the PlanetaryPart I: The Globe and the Planet 1 Four Theses 2 Conjoined Histories 3 The Planet: A Humanist CategoryPart II: The Difficulty of Being Modern 4 The Difficulty of Being Modern 5 Planetary Aspirations: Reading a Suicide in India 6 In the Ruins of an Enduring FablePart III: Facing the Planetary 7 Anthropocene Time 8 Toward an Anthropological Clearing Postscript: The Global Reveals the Planetary: A Conversation with Bruno Latour Acknowledgments Notes Index

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Book SynopsisNews headlines would often have us believe that conservationists are inevitably locked in conflict with the people who live and work on the lands they seek to protect. This book delves into the history and evolution of western land use policy and of the working landscapes themselves.

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Book SynopsisOffers us a cohesive picture of Roosevelt's engagement with the natural world along with a compelling portrait of how Americans used, wasted, and worried about natural resources in a time of burgeoning empire.Trade Review"Tyrrell is the most insightful and significant scholar of transnational US history. In Crisis of the Wasteful Nation he shows again that the enduring theme of American exceptionalism is best examined and revised through global comparative and transnational contexts. This is an important, new, and nuanced framing of the interrelated realms of natural resource use, physical health, and national strength." (David Wrobel, University of Oklahoma)"

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Book SynopsisBrings together a consortium of voices comprised of renowned scientists, historians, philosophers, environmental writers, activists, policy makers, and land managers to negotiate the incredible challenges that environmentalism faces.Trade Review"After Preservation asks one of the big, hairy, audacious questions of the early twenty-first century: How should humans relate to nature in the Anthropocene? Minteer and Pyne have assembled an impressive assortment of contributors to offer a wide-ranging set of answers in concise, poignant, and powerful essays. This is an important and timely contribution that should be read by people working to construct a thriving and sustainable future." (R. Bruce Hull, author of Infinite Nature)

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Book SynopsisBrings together a consortium of voices comprised of renowned scientists, historians, philosophers, environmental writers, activists, policy makers, and land managers to negotiate the incredible challenges that environmentalism faces.Trade Review"After Preservation asks one of the big, hairy, audacious questions of the early twenty-first century: How should humans relate to nature in the Anthropocene? Minteer and Pyne have assembled an impressive assortment of contributors to offer a wide-ranging set of answers in concise, poignant, and powerful essays. This is an important and timely contribution that should be read by people working to construct a thriving and sustainable future." (R. Bruce Hull, author of Infinite Nature)

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Book SynopsisGlobal temperatures and seawater levels rise; the world's smallest porpoise species looms at the edge of extinction; and a tiny emerald beetle from Japan flourishes in North Americabut why does it matter? Who cares? With this concise, accessible, and up-to-date book, Charles J. Krebs answers critics and enlightens students and environmental advocates alike, revealing not why phenomena like these deserve our attention, but why they demand it. Highlighting key principles in ecologyfrom species extinction to the sun's role in powering ecosystemseach chapter introduces a general question, illustrates that question with real-world examples, and links it to pressing ecological issues in which humans play a central role, such as the spread of invasive species, climate change, overfishing, and biodiversity conservation. While other introductions to ecology are rooted in complex theory, math, or practice and relegate discussions of human environmental impacts and their societal implications

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Catastrophic Thinking presents the best introductory account of how the idea of species-wide loss was conceived and established in scientific circles. . . . [Sepkoski] convincingly suggests that ideas about extinction in each historical period reflect broader social and cultural concerns in the modern world, from the intimate connections between extinction and imperialism to current concerns about the global biodiversity crisis. . . . Extinction is no longer a specialized concern. In this climate, David Sepkoski’s accessible guide is most welcome." * Times Literary Supplement *"Convincingly demonstrates that an ecological perspective has profoundly shaped our views of biological and social communities. . . . Sepkoski's magisterial work will hopefully serve as an inspiration for more comprehensive histories of the concept of diversity. . . . Catastrophic Thinking is essential reading for those seeking to understand the origin of one of the most powerful concepts under consideration today." * Science *"A brilliant examination of an urgent subject, with lessons not just for addressing mass extinction but also for reckoning with the intellectual background against which we have failed to do so. Sepkoski is a scientific Maurice Sendak, conjuring a strange world in which the wild things are not the lost animals and plants of the earth’s past so much as the scientists clamouring to study—if not save—them. . . . This book uncovers a pattern of stasis and rupture; ideas, like species, thrive for a time, only to see the context in which they thrived wiped out. Arriving at this particular moment, in a world stalked by extremists and stoked by a profit-driven public square, Sepkoski’s account of where the wild things went makes perfect sense. In an age of rupture, what other way could it have been written? To paraphrase one of Sepkoski’s own sources: Catastrophic Thinking is the extinction story our era deserves." * Social History of Medicine *"Excellent. . . . Catastrophic Thinking is a closely argued, gracefully written book. In fact, it might even be regarded as several books in one: as a history of extinction science, an essay on the origin of a social value, and more subtlety, a piece of cultural criticism. These elements blend together almost seamlessly. Sepkoski achieves just the right mix of historical detachment, scientific sophistication and cultural perceptiveness to carry off his ambitious project. There are plenty of surprises for the reader along the way, and not a little wisdom. In our present age of catastrophes and catastrophizing, it deserves a wide and enthusiastic readership." * Metascience *"Far from a dry recitation of the scientific literature, Sepkoski's meta-analysis of extinction and biological diversity foregrounds ideas and rhetorical choices. . . . Lucidly written and keenly personal, Catastrophic Thinking is engaging from beginning to end. . . . Sepkoski delineates new territory in the discourse of extinction by reviewing and revisiting the most important scientific figures and literature (popular and academic) of each era since catastrophic thinking took hold of the Western imaginary. Readers interested in the scientific history of extinction as a modern concept, particularly as it was formed by human institutions, will find much of interest in Sepkoski's book." * Isis: A Journal of the History of Science Society *"This book is impeccably researched, and—rather than a popular science book—does not repackage and distil others' work but provides a novel, academic argument. This fresh take on how we collectively see extinction—and its flipside, loss of diversity—will help readers understand and contextualise the current crisis and the Anthropocene. Sepkoski will give many pause to reflect not just on how our research is influenced by our broader culture, but also how important it is to influence and impact society and politics: to move the needle on the climate and biodiversity crises. . . . Buy a copy of Catastrophic Thinking to better understand—and even be inspired to change—these terrifying times we are living in." * Holocene *"Timely and fascinating. . . . This is a fabulous book, expertly weaving cultural and intellectual history into a rich tapestry of ideas about loss, precarity, and diversity, whose relevance and significance can hardly be overstated. Sepkoski takes readers on an eye-opening journey into a history that remains surprisingly little known despite its obvious importance given the catastrophic biodiversity crisis we currently face. It's an absolute pleasure to read." * Lukas Rieppel, New Books in Science, Technology, and Society *"How do humans perceive the nature of extinction, and how has that shaped how humans perceive each other and aspects of society? This thought-provoking book examines those questions and reveals how knowing that we can lose something forever—and the realization that extinction comes with cultural and ecological costs—motivates us to protect everything else." * Revelator *"Sepkoski has written a book that is as dynamic and paradoxical as extinction and diversity themselves. This is a book about extinction and death, but also about diversity and life. Although extinction is a potentially bleak and distressing territory, Sepkoski guides the reader faithfully through it. . . . He transforms the trenches of extinction into navigable terrain for the reader who is willing to consider their own role in the history of extinction." * Environment and History *"Catastrophic Thinking stands out for the depth of its scholarship. . . . [The book] is positively bristling with fascinating insights. Obviously, this is a must-read for science historians, but palaeontologists and evolutionary biologists interested in the history of their discipline can also safely pick this up. Furthermore, thanks to the compelling arguments and accessible writing, this book should appeal strongly outside of these disciplines to anyone with an interest in palaeontology, evolution, or mass extinctions." * Inquisitive Biologist *"A solid introduction to one of the most critical issues of today. . . . Recommended." * Choice *"In his wise and meticulously argued new book, Sepkoski explains why every era gets the dinosaur story it deserves, how the threat to biodiversity helped fashion cultural diversity into an ideal, and why extinction has become personal to each and every one of us. An urgent and brilliant exemplar of history of science at its very best, Catastrophic Thinking beautifully shows that the ways we construct the past are always reflections of our hopes and fears for the future." -- Oren Harman, author of Evolutions: Fifteen Myths That Explain Our World"An authoritative, compelling, and insightful account of how biological and cultural diversity has come to be so highly prized in contemporary Western society. This is a definitive history of the cultural and scientific developments, especially in paleontology, that have helped forge our sense of the modern biodiversity crisis. Lucid, historically sweeping, and accessible, Sepkoski's book ably reconstructs key aspects of the larger culture in which ideas about extinction, catastrophe, and diversity emerged." -- Mark V. Barrow, Jr., Virginia Tech"Sepkoski concludes the book with an insightful discussion of neoliberalism and the concept of the Anthropocene that inspires a critical reconsideration of the evidently catastrophic attitude of humans. Indeed, Homo sapiens is ‘the dinosaur and the asteroid’ of our era. Finally, although the book was written before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Catastrophic Thinking seems to provide a very appropriate framework in which to address current questions relating to the major challenges facing human beings on a global scale." * History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences *

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Book SynopsisA guide to inspire the future of conservation and to lead the next generation of conservation leaders in this country, written by the former Director of the National Park Service and the first Science Advisor to the Director of the NPS.Trade Review"A personal reflection based on science and firsthand experience, a primer on how we can engage and be present in the service of life with all its complexities; how natural histories embedded in America's diverse landscapes can illuminate our diverse cultural histories."--Terry Tempest Williams, from the foreword "The Future of Conservation in America is a call to action by two of the professional leaders most qualified to write it. The ongoing populist assaults on America's parks and wildlands is nothing less than a threat to a key part of our culture. Still worse, its effects will be irreversible. With authority and passion, the authors present an outline of the necessary defensive action to be undertaken now."--E. O. Wilson "I learned from my early days exploring the forests and waters of Georgia and my years in Washington, DC, that conservation is an American value that needs replenishment by each new generation. There are growing dangers to our most precious civic possessions: the air we breathe; the water we drink; and the land that sustains us. Divisive politics distract us from these common interests. The Future of Conservation in America calls for an enlightened vision for the future. The authors draw from a combined eighty years of public service in conservation and science to chart a course for a new generation of conservation action and leadership."--President Jimmy Carter

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